NBC Is Reportedly Bringing Back “The Office” Without Steve Carell

Back in August, NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt let it be known that they were busy reviving old shows and The Office was brought up as a possible option. Well, rumor has it that we’re definitely getting more of The Office in 2018. But like every wish made on a cursed monkey paw goes, there’s always a sinister catch. The Office is coming back, Steve Carell isn’t coming back with it. And just like that, the news of an Office reboot quickly turned into a boardroom full of depressing barely inflated brown and grey balloons.

Sources tell TVLine that NBC is already in planning stages. They want the revival ready to go for the 2018-2019 season. It will reportedly include both old and new cast members, and NBC is already looking to cast a new manager/boss for the show, because there’s no chance that Steve Carell is returning to play Michael Scott. When the show ended in 2013, Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) was made regional manager of Dunder Mifflin. So my guess is Dwight lost his manager position, possibly after Jim tricked him into investing company money in fake Bitcoins.

NBC declined to talk to TVLine about the return of The Office. TVLine points out that NBC’s recent revival of Will and Grace went on to earn a couple Golden Globe nominations. So maybe NBC is hoping that this Office revival will also be well-received. I guess you could say they’re probably hoping this revival of The Office is more Alfredo’s Pizza Cafe than Pizza by Alfredo. Plus, it’s not like this revival could possibly put a smellier stink on The Office any more than seasons 8 and 9 already did.

The Office ran for 9 seasons, so you’d think we all got the Dunder Mifflin we could ever possibly want. Um, NOPE. Many times I have ended the series and just sat there waiting, hoping for more episodes to magically pop up on my screen. I don’t even mind so much that Steve Carell won’t be involved. I love Michael Scott, but Michael Scott absolutely wouldn’t work in 2018. Let’s face it, the first episode would start and end with Michael Scott becoming the subject of a company-wide #MeToo campaign.

Pic: NBC